An investigator with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has provided detailed testimony on how N33.2 billion allegedly earmarked for arms procurement was moved from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to private individuals and companies, as the trial of former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki continued in Abuja.
The testimony was delivered on January 13, 2026, before Justice C.O. Agbaza of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, sitting in Maitama. The proceedings form part of the long-running prosecution of Dasuki, who served as National Security Adviser under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
According to a statement released by the EFCC via its official X (formerly Twitter) account, the commission’s first prosecution witness, Dr. Michael Adariku, traced multiple transactions allegedly executed from the ONSA account between April and May 2015. Adariku, an investigator with the EFCC, was led in evidence by prosecution counsel Rotimi Jacobs, SAN.
Alleged transfers from ONSA account
The witness told the court that the ONSA account, domiciled with Zenith Bank, recorded several large transfers within a short period in the final weeks of the Jonathan administration. One of the transactions highlighted during testimony occurred on April 17, 2015, when N600 million was allegedly transferred to Acacia Holdings Limited. At the time, the company’s account reportedly had a balance of just over N27,000.
According to the EFCC, subsequent movements from the beneficiary accounts were allegedly used for land acquisitions, property transactions, and other private expenditures within the Federal Capital Territory. Investigators further claimed that some of the funds were routed through companies and individuals linked to the second defendant, Aminu Baba Kusa, a former General Manager of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), allegedly acting through agents and business facilitators.
Companies and properties allegedly involved
Dr. Adariku reportedly named several entities that received portions of the funds, including Reliance Referral Hospital Limited, Medical Practice Limited, Fastman Investment Ltd, and Namuduka Ventures Ltd. According to his testimony, some of the monies were allegedly used to purchase large parcels of land in Kyami District, Kwali, Wasa District, and other parts of Abuja.
The EFCC further alleged that part of the funds was converted into foreign currency and transferred outside Nigeria. The witness told the court that between April 1 and May 6, 2015, a cumulative sum of N150 million was transferred to Medical Practice Limited, a company said to be associated with the wife of the second defendant. Additional transfers, the EFCC claimed, were converted into dollars and euros before being moved to offshore accounts allegedly linked to Baba Kusa.
Background to the case
Dasuki is standing trial alongside Baba Kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited, and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited on a 32-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and the alleged diversion of N33.2 billion in public funds meant for national security and arms procurement.
The former NSA was first arraigned on December 14, 2015, alongside Shuaibu Salisu, the former Director of Finance and Administration at ONSA, on a 19-count charge involving an alleged N15.5 billion fraud. Following Salisu’s removal from the case, the charges were amended. On May 11, 2018, Dasuki and other defendants were re-arraigned on an expanded 32-count charge involving N33.2 billion. Additional cases were also filed against him, including one alongside former Minister of State for Finance Bashir Yuguda, over an alleged N19.4 billion diversion.
The trial, which has suffered repeated adjournments over the years, was again adjourned to January 14, 2026, for continuation.
Emmanuel Bassey is a Financial Expert that has worked in the Banking and Finance Industry for over 15+ years across different banks in Nigeria
